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Polpette di Sarde

Sardine fritters with bread, herbs and pecorino

Sicilian sardine polpette made with soaked bread, eggs, parsley and pecorino, fried and served with a simple tomato sauce.

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Prep25 minsCook30 minsServes4DifficultyMedium

Plus 20 min for chilling the fish mixture; included in the total time below.

Editorial recipe cover for Polpette di Sarde, from Sicily

Sicily

The regional version.

The herb-and-pecorino household version; Palermo versions with raisins and pine nuts also exist.

  • Fresh sardines, not canned fish, make the base.
  • Soaked bread, eggs, herbs and pecorino bind the mixture.
  • Fried polpette may be served with sauce or finished inside it.

Technique: sardine fritters with bread, herbs and pecorino

Use the cleaned weight of sardines and ask the fishmonger to remove the backbones. Shape the polpette small enough to cook through before their crumb coating darkens.

The recipe

Polpette di Sarde

25 min prep30 min cook1 hr 15 min total4 servings

Includes 20 min for chilling the fish mixture.

Scale:

Ingredients

Main

Method

  1. 1

    Soak bread briefly in water and squeeze it firmly. Chop sardine fillets by hand, checking carefully for remaining bones.

  2. 2

    Mix fish, bread, eggs, pecorino, parsley and mint. Season lightly and refrigerate the mixture for 20 minutes.

  3. 3

    Warm garlic in olive oil, add passata and simmer for 20 minutes to make a thick sauce.

  4. 4

    Shape the chilled fish mixture into small flattened balls and coat with breadcrumbs; add a spoonful of crumbs if too wet.

  5. 5

    Fry in batches at about 170°C until golden on both sides and cooked through at the centre, about 4–6 minutes depending on size.

  6. 6

    Drain and serve with tomato sauce separately, or simmer the cooked polpette in the sauce briefly for the stewed version.

The version on this page

The herb-and-pecorino household version; Palermo versions with raisins and pine nuts also exist.

  • Fresh sardines, not canned fish, make the base.
  • Soaked bread, eggs, herbs and pecorino bind the mixture.
  • Fried polpette may be served with sauce or finished inside it.

Cooking it well

Use the cleaned weight of sardines and ask the fishmonger to remove the backbones. Shape the polpette small enough to cook through before their crumb coating darkens.

Serving and planning

Serve with tomato sauce and bread, with the sauce on the side to preserve the crisp exterior.

Allow 20 additional minutes for chilling the fish mixture. This is included in the total recipe time, alongside active preparation and cooking.

Explore the Sicilian cooking guide for related dishes and pantry notes.

Storage

Refrigerate cooked polpette promptly in a covered container and use within 2 days. Keep sauce separate if preserving the fried coating.

Freezing

Freeze cooked, cooled polpette for up to 1 month; thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Reheating

Reheat in tomato sauce until piping hot, or in the oven if serving the sauce separately.

Keep cooking

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